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Toronto man faces nearly 100 charges after defrauding multiple sellers online

Police say the man reached out to potential victims on Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and Snapchat, agreeing to buy various pieces of merchandise — mainly clothing and shoes.  (maradon 333/Shutterstock - image credit)
Police say the man reached out to potential victims on Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and Snapchat, agreeing to buy various pieces of merchandise — mainly clothing and shoes. (maradon 333/Shutterstock - image credit)

A Toronto man is facing nearly 100 charges after allegedly defrauding multiple people selling designer items online, and police believe there may be more victims.

The 22-year-old managed to defraud several people from April 2021 and February 2022 before being caught, Toronto police said in a news release.

Police say the man reached out to potential victims on Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace and Snapchat, agreeing to buy various pieces of merchandise — mainly clothing and shoes.

He would then meet the victims and pay for the goods with fraudulent cheques that the sellers would deposit online.

The cheques were for amounts larger than the price of the goods, leading to the victims transferring the difference back him.

Once the cheques were found to be fraudulent it was too late — the man already had both the goods and the money.

Police say they arrested the man on June 27. He now faces 97 charges including five counts of fraud over $5,000, 29 counts of fraud under $5,000, 30 counts of causing another person to act on a forged document, four counts of theft under $5,000 along with uttering threats and 27 breaches of probation.

The man is described as six feet tall and 180 lbs with braided hair with a fade on the sides and a black beard.

Police also say he has tattoos of "Heaven Fraser" on right forearm, and "514" on his left forearm.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact police at 416-808-4100 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 416-222-TIPS (8477).